Solar cells, or photovoltaic cells, have the ability to convert sunlight directly into electricity. In order to capture the maximum amount of sunlight during the day, a tracker is connected to the cells and continuously aligns the light-absorbing panels of the cells in a direction perpendicular to rays from the sun so that the cells can absorb the highest amount of energy from the rays of sunlight. This is particularly important for high performance solar panels having concentrated cells. Current trackers are typically dual axis tracking systems having a linear actuator for elevational control and a geared or linear motor for azimuthal control. However, geared motors can be expensive and add to the cost of producing the tracker.
One problem with current tracker systems is that they are designed to mount on a post and have no means of stowing in extreme winds. Thus, the wind load resistance of the tracker system is low and can result in damage to the tracker or to the solar panels during extreme winds. It would thus be beneficial to be able to either increase the wind load resistance of the tracker or to fold the tracker into a stowed position during extreme weather conditions to reduce the potential of damage to the tracker or the solar panels. Additionally, because current tracker systems are designed to mount on a post, all of the loading is transferred to the base of the post, hindering the ability to integrate the solar tracker onto a building structure. In order to mount the solar trackers on a building structure, the mounting point for the tracker post must be designed to distribute the load of the tracker into the building structural members.